N97 V2.0 is out, do you have it?

So the N97 got the big firmware update that was being discussed as the savior of the N97’s woes. But, you can’t get it to install on your phone. You tried everything and are absolutely frustrated and are thinking of visiting the Nokia Care Center to get that update.

That’s exactly what I had going with me until last night, when I thought of doing a little bit of cleaning and some brainstorming on my own. What I describe below should allow you to get that update on your N97 without having to visit the Care Center. The update is still not available on FOTA (Firmware Over The Air) in case you are thinking of firing the OTA feature.

1. Download the latest Nokia PC Suite from the Nokia website (here) and install it. This will bring your Nokia PC Suite to the latest version V7.1.30.9
2. After the above, download the installer file for Nokia Software Updater – NSU and install it (I know this is not the latest version but the NSU will get updated without a hitch with this method). Once you start the installation, make sure you are connected to the internet, The NSU will search for an update for itself and will automatically download the latest version (this is where the internet connection is needed) and it will not hang up or a give a ‘Internet Connection Lost’ error. Download it from here.
3. Restart your PC now.
4. Once your computer is rebooted, start Nokia PC Suite and take a backup of your contact and whatever necessary onto your PC.
5. This step is optional, but I would recommend you to go ahead with it. Do a hard reset of your phone. you need to type this code (in bold) in the dialer – *#7370# This will clean the phone of anything that could potentially cause an error and give you an incomplete experience.
6. With the phone now being ‘clean’ of any data, fire away NSU. The update should now work without a hitch and without giving any errors, provided you have a stable internet connection and electricity supply.

Now once your phone is updated, you will actually get a feel of how amazing the V20 firmware is. After playing with it in this form will you actually know how much better the N97 suddenly feels. I found the touchscreen to be much more sensitive and easier to use and the scrolling changes have made life with the N97 an absolute blessing.

The system feels much more responsive. I formatted my Micro SD card also just to be on the safe side before I restored the data I had backed up earlier.  After following these steps you will find the difference in your N97. Now you can reinstall the apps which you lost or are not working due to the formatting done earlier. This is a slightly more complicated way, but will ensure that your N97 works just as good as a brand new N97 with v20.0.019

ZOMGitsCj.com launches

Just a short note to let y’all know ZOMGitsCj.com has gone ahead and launched earlier today.Nokia and Symbian News, Reviews and More !

We moved on from our previous blogspot address, so do drop by and have a look around. It’s not a drastic change, atleast I don’t think, but it deffo has a cleaner feel and offers more functionality.

I’m so excited about all the new possibilities that this new site affords !

I also want to take time out to commend Aditya on his work here and on Symbian-LifeBlog where he’s also blogging. And if that wasnt enough, y”all should check out his detailed software reviews on PhoneReport. Way to go man ! Definitely a hard worker, that guy !

Thats about it. Do check out the site and let us know what you think.

-Clinton Jeff

Handcase releases a few freewares

A couple of days ago, I had reported on Handcase taking the Symbian route, the post being titled, “Handcase to go the Symbian way!”.

Well yesterday night I got an email from the company informing me that a few of their freewares were available for testing. The softwares are not ready for S60 phones yet. But the company is inviting people to test the softwares using a Palm to Symbian emulator of Access.

In case you want to give it a shot, click here. You will find the instructions and the email address to contact them, in case you have any suggestions and issue to sort out.

I think its great to see more people joining the S60 bandwagon. Being an S60 ambassador (If you are not an S60 ambassador yet, sign up for it!), it makes it all the more exciting. I am hoping to see their applications on the S60 devices soon. Hopefully I will also be reviewing them.

UPDATE:
There is no emulator for the Symbian phones yet. But one can test these softwares on the Nokia Internet tablets…

Handcase to go the Symbian way!

Handcase a company that makes applications for Palm phones (running the Palm OS) has decided to go in the direction of Symbian. This means that around 316 applications of Handcase will soon be supported on the Symbian platform.

Handcase has been evaluating for some time, the migration of its extensive portfolio of software and games for other mobile platforms. When asked why Symbian? “Why because, it is the largest platform in terms of users and the integration of all versions of Symbian, a integrated version proposed by Symbian Foundation, reducing the cost and time for the migration. And users of Symbian, may have many choices of software and games of quality, it has already recognized for Palm.” Ricardo, director of Handcase explains.

But please be patient, since the company has about 316 applications in various segments, porting all of them will not be an easy job, it will require a little time.

I have had a look at the segments it has applications and all i can say is that the list is long and some of the applications have not been designed for the S60 yet! (Medical softwares especially) I think this announcement will definitely solve Dotsisx’s concerns to a large extent.

So does this mean that support and development for Palm products is over? Handcase has assured us that they will be supporting the Palm OS and will be releasing more products for Palm OS soon.

Welcome aboard Handcase!

I’ve also uploaded panels for each segment Handcase is present in. Each panel has some softwares which Handcase sells through its site. This way you will know what kind of softwares Handcase is going to port.

Games

Corporate

Educational

Medical

Personal

professional

utility

(Not) Connecting (with) people!

Don’t we all remember the famous tag line of Nokia “Connecting People”. Those were the good ol’ days. Back then Nokia was really developing the Symbian S60 (as it was know back then). So many apps were being developed and functionalities being added that S60 became the OS to use when one was buying a phone. I remember when I was in college if you had a expensive Nokia (S60 version) you were considered cool and all those things that go along with it.

Then came the time when Nokia started stressing on “Its what computers have become”. That in many ways signaled the beginning of the downfall of S60. From then on its seems as though development of the OS slowed down tremendously. Very little came out from S60 people in terms of development. In fact, I think these have been the highlights…
1. S60 3rd edition: Almost like moving from Windows 98 to Windows 2000.
2. FP1: Bug fixes and security concerns being addressed.
3. E90 (phone): The E90 gets the S60.
4. FP2: Transitions and perhaps more???

In between these 4 milestones there were few smaller ones like the Active Standby screen, Search, the Shortcut button.

Apart from this nothing really has come out of S60. And with Nokia shifting to become an “Internet Company” I don’t see any further innovation and development of the S60. The other OS developers have clearly caught up with S60 in terms of features and capabilities. When in-house ‘dumb phone’ OSes can do what S60 does, its time to start worrying. It is surprising to see that S60 and even Nokia have not woken up to the fact that the definition of a ’smart-phone’ has drastically changed. Today just because S60 can open an Office document and because it can run multiple applications does not mean it is a ’smart’ OS. No, the rules have changed! You need to be able to do more than what you were able to do a couple of years ago.

Phones have moved ahead in terms of hardware, wifi chips, graphic chips, audio chips and what not.
By developing software to handle the hardware does not mean the OS has moved ahead. How much have you been able to simplify the way it(hardware) operates? Let me give you an instance, whenever I use the WLAN wizard to search for a ‘hotspot’ to connect to the net, it seems as if I am pulling so many levers and it really pisses me off, so much so, that I prefer not use it even when I can. my friend who has the iPhone, on the other hand does it so effortlessly that it makes me jealous! By the time I am connected to the wifi network, he has already opened his browser and is surfing.
This is just one of the many instances. There are many more. I am sure they know it too.If phones have really become computers why do I feel like I am better off carrying a laptop??? Why do I feel like carrying a huge burden on my shoulder when I know that my phone could do most of those things? Simple because the time it takes to do it those tasks on a phone defies the purpose of having that feature!

Lets also look at the biggest chink in the S60’s armor, its interface. The user interface has really not moved ahead. I used to disagree with people when they said it because I thought that by adding a few new icons you could make things more refreshing. Today when I look at my phone I wish I could do something more with the way it looked. I want an interface that is lively and customizable and also simple to use. Just by allowing people to change the appearance by changing the menu view, installing themes is not enough any more. I must honestly say this that I am thoroughly bored of S60, simply because there isn’t enough to do on it. Why can’t anybody customize their phone visually beyond a theme and font size? Oh and now we have transitions, which are existent in only FP2 devices and in one FP1 device- N81. If this is what computers have become, then let me tell you S60 and Nokia that you guys are thoroughly mistaken!

What Nokia and S60 have failed to see is how iPhone has changed the game when it comes to browsers.I agree that iPhone does not offer Flash support and what not. But it is so much simpler and more flexible, and so friendly to use. With the Android also hitting the stores soon with the Chrome in some avataar, I wonder what Nokia will do to stay ahead in the game!

One more threat that they seem to have not guaged properly is the MiniPC segment. With almost every manufacturer jumping onto the bandwagon offering smaller laptops to do ones daily computing, its a matter of time when they cannibalize the smart-phone segment. With XP being bundled and even variants of Linux on these MiniPCs, it is merely a matter of time before Microsoft and LiMo start offering similar experiences on phones. How ready is S60 and Nokia for that possibility?

Its high time Nokia and S60 realize their folly and start “Connecting (with) people”. On a personal note, I would like to make it clear that I have faith in the OS despite the fact I am bored of it. It is a strong and robust system. I am confident that Nokia and S60 will realize the situation they are currently in and correct it. With Samsung and to an extent LG also releasing S60 enabled handsets, there is bound to be some sort of jumpstart in development activities. I hope that S60 is also open to suggestions as it is to features.